Hundreds of British children are being blackmailed into performing depraved sex acts online by paedophiles who threaten to send obscene images of the victim to their family and friends.

Investigators from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Ceop) centre said children as young as eight have been targeted and are being driven to self-harm and suicide by their abusers.

In the past two years across 12 investigations, 424 children worldwide have been blackmailed in this way, of whom 184 were from the UK, Ceop said.

Web porn payment block considered

The Government's internet proposals include blocking payments to websites which fail to stop children viewing pornography, it has been reported.

The Daily Telegraph says it has learnt banks and credit card firms will be asked to hold back cash from paying customers of websites hosting explicit, although still legal, material if they are unable to implement restrictions to stop under-age children from accessing it.

Financial organisations and the video services regulator will meet next month in an effort to finalise the deal, the paper adds. It also reports it is hoped a voluntary deal will be agreed with credit card firms.

Farage predicts UKIP ‘earthquake’

Ukip is on course to "cause an earthquake" by winning next year's European elections in what will effectively be a referendum on Britain's future EU membership, believes Nigel Farage.

The eurosceptic party's leader will tell activists gathered for its annual conference in London Britain is "moving Ukip's way" on issues such as benefits, education and Europe.

And he will put a tough line on immigration at the heart of his pitch to voters - warning the Tories that failing to block an influx of Bulgarians and Romanians to the UK will lead to a ballot box hammering.

Smoking could be banned in prisons

Inmates could soon be banned from smoking at prisons in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has said.

A pilot scheme which will monitor how prisoners react to the move is being planned by the Government but sites have not yet been chosen.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: "We are considering banning smoking across the prison estate and as part of this are looking at possible sites as early adopters."

Spin doctor reveals smear campaign

A former spin doctor to Gordon Brown has revealed how he launched smear campaigns against cabinet ministers during his boss's leadership bid.

Special adviser secretary Damian McBride confesses to leaking stories to the press about former home secretaries John Reid and Charles Clarke at a time when he was determined to ensure Mr Brown succeeded Tony Blair as Prime Minister.

In his book Power Trip, serialised in the Daily Mail, he reveals details of the infighting and media manipulation in the Labour party in the run-up to Mr Blair stepping down in 2007.

Fan’s wait for new iphone is over

Fans who have been queuing for up to three days will finally be able to get their hands on the new iPhone when it goes on sale later this morning.

Some began queuing as early as Monday evening to buy Apple's latest model, the futuristic 5S handset which is equipped with a fingerprint scanner.

The device, which comes in gold, silver or ''space'' grey, is expected to fly off the shelves but it is unclear whether the colourful 5C will have the same reception

West urged to keep Syria distance

President Bashar Assad's regime will not continue as it has done but the Western world must "get off our shoulders", Syria's deputy prime minister has said.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Qadri Jamil told the Guardian neither side was capable of defeating the other and a stalemate had been reached.

But he accepted that any ceasefire would have to be kept "under international observation".

Mexico storms death toll rises

With a low, rumbling roar, an arc of dirt, rock and mud tumbled down the hillside in the remote mountain village of La Pintada, sweeping houses in its path, burying half the hamlet and leaving 68 people missing.

It was the biggest known tragedy caused by twin weekend storms that struck Mexico, creating floods and landslides across the nation and killing at least 97 people as of yesterday - not counting those missing in La Pintada.

Interior Minister Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said soldiers have recovered two bodies and continued to dig through the mud.

Man in court over house fire deaths

A man will appear in court today charged with murdering a mother and her three teenage children who died in a house fire.

The 18-year-old man, who has yet to be named, was charged yesterday by officers investigating the deaths of Shehnila Taufiq, her daughter Zainab, and sons Bilal and Jamal.

The accused man is expected to appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court this morning charged with four counts of murder.